Tag: thanks

Apparently the hashcash plugin is creating problems. At the time I installed it, it was the best thing I could find. Now that other options are available and Keith was helpful in pointing out the effects of hashcash, I took it off.

I also removed the captcha per the recommendation of the new plugin's authors. I really hated having to add that on.

In regards to the primordials (and possibly the secordials and/or the ultimordials) I will end the series with the idea that started it, an Ice Cream Primordial. The next post will venture outside the classical elements of air, earth, fire, water, wood, metal, aether, sulfur, mercury and salt. For example, the primordials of the Prime Material plane are Howard-esque ape-men. The primordials of the any of the good Outer Planes are likely to be vaguely like an angel or archon. Vampires would be the primordials of the Demiplane of Dread.

When thinking about a list primary substances, the definitions get more interesting when you venture outside the Prime Material. There's ichor (traditionally the blood of a god), ectoplasm (traditionally a spirit material) and the material of the astral plane (traditionally a mental material). You could even recast the shadow as a primordial of one or more planes.

Taking it to a kind of Spelljammer metaphor, you could have a primordial of one crystal sphere instead of one place. For example, you could have the draconians or kender as primordials of Krynnspace or the Green Martians of Solspace.

Beyond that, though, I want something a bit outside those ideas. For my son, it's Candyland (and its neighbors Pieland and Ice Cream Land). For me, I'm not sure yet. I thought about a Buckeyball land with creatures of pure carbon, but that's just a variation of the elemental. I'm looking for something like the Cash Primordials of Moneyland or the Paladins of Didactic Land or the monks of Mathetic Land. These are creatures whose primary essence is more of an idea that a physical substance.

What would a creature composed of monetary value be like? It would have to be able to change forms quickly, stay in motion and feed off the perceived worth given to it by the creatures around it. It could not exist on its own, but would need at least a symbiotic relationship with another race to keep going. I imagine these guys would gorge themselves in the presence of a dragon...

I graphed the three mechanics mentioned in the post. Basically it shows that results above 21 begin to show diminishing returns. In other words, once a character achieves a score of 25, the benefit of pushing on to 30 is not so large an advantage.

One thing I haven't done yet is to look at this mechanic's effect on combat. Maybe it is tradition for me that I don't want to go into that direction. I'd like to say something at the beginning of Andras to the effect of this:

d4, d6, d8 and d10 are used for damage
d12 is used for initiative and surprise
d20 is used for combat
d20+d10 are used for non-weapon proficiency or special abilities. (Use a d30 if you prefer linear probabilities.)

Believe me when I tell you that if I could incorporate a d24, I would. 🙂

Next up, a crystal magic wielding rival for the Fire Primordials on their own plane and a look at the Water Primordials.